1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for loading articles such as fiberboard containers onto a loading carrier base such as a pallet.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is known in the art that a telescopic conveyor is used in order to load articles such as fiberboard containers onto a loading carrier base such as a pallet, a container carrier and a motor truck loading space, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho. 48-110885. The telescopic conveyor is provided with a conveyance path which enables the conveyance of the articles thereon toward a side where the articles are to be loaded and which is designed to be swingable and telescopic (extendable and contractible). With such a conveyor, a worker can receive, at the distal end of the conveyor, each of the articles which are conveyed toward the loading side, and load the received article onto a required loading position of the side.
The conventional art as mentioned above, however, has the following deficiencies:
(1) Since the telescopic conveyor is swung depending on the level or height of the loading position, the conveyance path of the conveyor is inclined upward or downward in use. Consequently, the worker must stop and receive, at the distal end of the conveyor, the article to which the conveying force due to the incline of the conveyor is applied. Thereafter, the worker must orient or direct the article suitably for loading and further transfer the article to the loading position by himself (without any external assistance). Thus, the worker must repeat heavy physical labor and be forced to perform hard work.
(2) If an article conveying-in conveyor is connected to the upstream end of the telescopic conveyor so as to successively convey the articles thereto without any temporary stoppage or storage of the articles, the worker will never view all the articles to be loaded entirely before starting the loading operation. Thus, it is impossible for the worker to perform the loading operation after the determination is preliminarily made as to how the loading process is carried out (the articles should be loaded vertically or horizontally, or the like) in order to form a completed posture of the articles, which is hardly collapsed onto the load carrier base. Therefore, the working efficiency cannot be sufficiently improved.
(3) In the case where a single article conveying-in conveyor is connected to the upstream end of the telescopic conveyor, the downstream end of the telescopic conveyor is generally set at a fixed position in the width direction of the loading carrier base. That is to say, the downstream end of the telescopic conveyor can be disposed at a location just confronting one of a plurality of loading portions of the loading carrier base, which portions are imaginally defined on the loading surface in the width direction thereof, but can not be disposed at the other locations confronting the other loading portions. Consequently, the worker must be required to transfer the articles along a large distance by himself, and the physical labor mentioned in deficiency (1) becomes excessive. Thus, working efficiency is adversely effected and the worker must perform hard work.
(4) The telescopic conveyor conveys out the articles therefrom at fixed intervals or timings. Consequently, the worker must repeat the heavy physical labor at a fixed rhythm regardless of his skill, physical fatigue, physical strength or the like, so that the worker must perform hard work with poor working efficiency.
(5) The worker who receives an article at the downstream end of the telescopic conveyor, must transfer the article to a desired loading position while holding the article by himself and avoiding the obstructive articles which have already been loaded. The required labor is increased and the working efficiency is deteriorated.